13th Annual African American Fiber Art Exibition—Floors 1 &2

This annual juried exhibition features works in fiber created by African American artists from throughout the United States. The theme of this 13^th installment was directly inspired by the song “Black Gold,” by Esperanza Spalding, from her 2012 album Radio Music Society. More than fifty artists from throughout the U.S. accepted a challenge to review the lyrics of Spalding’s song as well as the official music video, then create a fiber work to inspire the next generation. Curated by award-winning and nationally exhibiting textile artist Torreah “Cookie” Washington, this unique opportunity offers African American fiber artists a showcase to exhibit their original and innovative designs, executed in a variety of traditional and non-traditional fiber techniques.

Works by Patricia A. Montgomery: Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement—Floor 3

Fiber artist Patricia A. Montgomery presents a series of swing coats constructed from story quilts using traditional African American quilting design and construction techniques to honor unsung heroines of the Civil Rights Movement. Using vivid color palettes, asymmetrical and strip piecing, evocative quilting stitches, hidden protective charm symbols, appliqued figurative images and interpretations of Anglo-American traditional patterns, each coat represents one unsung heroine of the Civil Rights Movement. The coats will be displayed on walls and mannequins, allowing viewers to stand next to or walk among these representations of Civil Rights heroines. Montgomery received her BFA in Fine Art from Holy Names College and her MFA in Fine Art from John F. Kennedy University. Her textile paintings have been exhibited in both national and international exhibitions. She has exhibited in venues in California, Texas, Costa Rica, and South Africa, among others. She currently lives in Oakland, California.